I began the above image, a future archival pigment print, over
the long weekend. In its present digital form I was able to widely share it as an Easter
greeting. Ultimately, however, it's intended to have a lifespan extending
beyond this special time of year, which in Australia occurs in Autumn.
Aside from working on this and other archival pigment prints in
the making, I enjoyed some brief, but refreshing time off over Easter.
With From the Bower - patterns of collecting at Warrnambool Art Gallery up and running, there is
time for reflection and a battery recharge before the show transfers to the Art
Gallery of Ballarat on 29 July. As befitting an entirely different space, the
next leg, to be overseen by AGB exhibition and catalogue designer Brenda Wellman,
will likely involve a slightly different take on the concept, with scope for additional
artworks and collection objects.
In my case, the latter will include three more Victorian
mourning brooches, including these two, discovered on Easter Sunday in an
antiques and collectibles market in Daylesford. The seed pearls encircling the
cameo (which doubles as a pendant) and the brooch containing skilfully arranged
human hair symbolise tears. The profile format of cameo portraits is a point of departure for my ongoing series of leaf works, also known as a poor man's (or, perhaps more accurately, a poor woman's) cameo.
